Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-02-25
Tie Mell1rIia! Bazaar.
WHAT 1T Is, AND WHO Is TO AID
IN CONDUCTING IT.

of the Augusta Memorial Association, to
raise funds for erecting a monument in
the centre Of the Confederate soldiers
cemetery 10 Stanton, will, in all likeli-
hood, be the most extensive affair of the
kind ever held here. The general impress
sion has been that the soldiers cemetery
was one of those noble thoughts that
came to the people after the war came to
an end. 1t was not; it was one of the
very first dread accompaniment of war
that forced itself on the attention of
our people, but when it was opened there
was no doubt but that it would only con.
tain the few graves of those who might
fall in brief, but victorious conflict to
follow. The first occupant Of it was D.
G. McLewray a soldier of the 3rd Arkan-
by being run over by locomotive at the
q. & o. depot where his regiment had
just debarked from train. Both of his
legs were cut off and his corpse was inter-
red in the soldiers section July oh. 1861.
Eleven days thereafter. the first Virginian
to rest there A. J. Wall of the Goth Va.
infantry, was placed by his side. Since
then, over five hundred Virginia soldiers
have been laid there. But it is note
worthy fact that while in all there are
some 1000 soldiers there, and while Staun-
ton and Augusta alone have tended it
year after year and spent several thousand
dollars on its improvement, there are but
five men from both city and county buried
there. ALI of such who died, and there
was a long and sad roll of them, we're
bred in the cemetery, or taken to the home
burying grounds of their people in the
county. Up to March Sd, 1862, there
was no system in the burials, but On that
day record was commenced and a regu-
lar system has since been observed. The
ground during the pressure of the war
was not made into separate cemetery,
except that in that section of the cemetery
the soldiers were laid side by side with
their comrades. It was not until after
the war had ended that
ABAND OF NOBLE WOMEN
of the town and county undertook the
task of gathering the Confederate dead
from their scattered graves in this Valley
into Soldiers Cemetery here. Headed
by Mrs. Robert Cowan, now of Richmond,
they collected and expended more than
1000 in the noble work. The Confeder-
ats dead all through the Valley, not
already in cemeteries. were brought here
and inferred, and record kept of the
name and regiment of each wherever it
was known.
THE MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION.
It was to preserve and perpetuate the
work begun by those patriotic women,
was formed on the 18th of June, $780,
Col. James II. Skinner was elected Pres
ident, and during his term of Office, by
voluntary contributions and the efforts of
these ladies. al amount sufficient to enclose
The soldiers Section with handsome iron
posts and chains, was raised. Along the
chain are placed tags by which each grave
can be identified. This cost So ,565, leaving
still a surplus of $500 which was invested,
the interest to be used as a fund for keep
ing the grounds in order.
THE OFFICERs OF THE ASSOCIATION.
Since the organization, the Memorial
Association has had the following Presi-
dents-Col. James II. Skinner. DIR. A. M.
faap
Capt. g. Julian Pratt; and the following
Secretaries-Cap Chas. D. Mccoy, Lit.
G. S. Arnall, Capt. Thos. s. Doyle and
Mr.. Newton ArgenbIight.
THE MONUMENT.
Though this much had been done, it
was felt by the members of the Assocla.
ton that its work would be incomplete
without the erection of monument to
their fallen comrades, and upon the sug.
question of Col. John D. Lilley. Monu-
ment Committee was appointed June 9th.
1888, charged with the duty of raising the
funds necessary to this end. Through the
agent appointed by this committee. sub
scriptions to the amount of 81 500 have
been secured up to this time. The Asso-
citation decided that the monumental
structure should be of Virginia granite. to
cost So 500, and on the first day of the
present month the Association turned
once more to its never failing friends the
ladies of the city and county.
THE PLAN OF BAZAAR
has been adopted, leaving it to tie ladies
to alter as in their Judgment may best
suit the case. The idea is to have a
Bazaar of such magnitude as was never
attempted here before, at which all articles
contributed 20 the cause may bs sold.
Ladies IN the county and City were solicit
ted to lend their aid in the work, and the
following have beea solicited to give their
valuable assistance-thOse in the City
4whose residence here makes it more con-
venient TO manage it, to organize tie
Bazaar, and the ladies in the county to
secure such subscriptions in cash to the
work as they can:
CITY OF sTAUNToN.
Mrs G G Gooeh, Mrs E A Mcmahon,
" WI Bumgardner, DIR N Wayt,
s.RMGuy. ME Miller,
" E W Bayly, W l. Olivier,
g John McQuaide. Hugh Henry,
" Jno B Hoge. g Mcfarland,
{" Jas gardner,jr Jacob Yost,
I" VIM Wholey, Miss Fannie Tams,
WAYNESBORO.
Mrs I II Antrim, Mrs B Roden,
.s w Ellison, i" A Fry,
GO r G Wright &C J A Patterson, jr
&c G Fishburne, :" W B Gallaher,
90 NJ L Leonard, ' Jno T Smith,
't G K Koiner, g B F Smith,
So L K Huff, GO G J Pratt